AUSTINTOWN Police efforts to slow drivers

Residents praise police but say speeders return after officers leave.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- Jennifer Milano's two young sons were captivated by the red, white and blue police cars flying down their quiet suburban street.
"My sons were going, 'Oh my gosh, Mom, they got another one!'" Milano said.
That was early last month, when police stepped up patrols near the Milanos' home on South Warwick Drive to target speeders. Police also used a computerized traffic counter to record the speed of cars.
During the increased patrols, "people slowed down like you wouldn't believe," Milano said.
When police left South Warwick Drive, the speeders returned.
"It's back to normal now," Milano said, as she watched the cars go by her house. "It's just an accident waiting to happen."
Police paid for the $1,700 traffic counter and the increased patrols using a $13,000 state grant. They also have increased patrols on New and Idaho roads and in the South Edgehill Avenue-Forest Hill Drive area using money from the grant this summer.
What changed
Results from the traffic counter show that average speeds on South Edgehill Avenue and Idaho Road, as well as South Warwick Drive, dropped 1 or 2 mph during increased patrols.
The counter also showed, however, that average speed on the roads began to climb after the increased patrols ended.
Ralph Jordon, a South Warwick Drive resident, said speeders make it difficult for senior citizens to get to their mailboxes along his street. Both Jordon and Ken Conti, also of South Warwick Drive, said many of the speeders were younger drivers.
Conti added that he was impressed with police efforts to reduce speeding on the road.
"The Austintown police are trying to do their best," he said.
Police issued 17 citations and 26 warnings for traffic violations during four days of increased patrols on South Warwick Drive.
The traffic counter showed that the average speed of vehicles on the road dropped about 2 mph when police stepped up patrols, from 31 mph the day before patrols were increased to 29 mph the third day of increased patrols.
The speed limit on the road is 25 mph.
Police Chief Gordon Ellis called the 2 mph decrease a "significant reduction," and said that many cars had to slow down in order for the average to drop.
Between 400-600 cars travel on South Warwick Drive each day.
Ellis added that because cars traveling 2 mph slower can stop quicker, the decrease made the road safer for pedestrians.
"If you're going slower, you have less stopping distance if a kid runs in front of you," he said.
Ellis noted, however, that there's little police can do to discourage speeding on a road when that road is not the target of increased patrols. He said police decide where to place the counter and increase patrols based on resident complaints.
"They can sit in my driveway anytime, if they want," said Ken Wilhelm of New Road.
Wilhelm lives just below the top of a hill near the Edinburg Drive intersection. He said that some cars go so fast on the street, they do a "four-wheel float" over the hill.
"I tell you, it's terrible," Wilhelm said. "This should never have become a speedway like this."
Police placed the traffic counter at the bottom of the hill near the Orkney Road intersection two weeks ago and increased patrols along the road.
What resulted
Despite resident complaints, the counter showed the average speed on the road is the speed limit: 35 mph. Police issued 14 citations and one warning during the increased patrols; about 4,000 cars travel the road each day.
Ellis said some drivers may have slowed as they went over the counter because of nearby construction. Susan Hedrich, who lives near the intersection, said some cars also slowed to turn onto Orkney.
"If you do 35 on this road, they'll run you over," she said. Jim Driscoll, also of New Road, added, "They ride your tail. You almost have to stop two houses back [to safely pull in the driveway.]"
Hedrich added that when cars slow down to turn onto Orkney Road, they risk being rear-ended.
Sometimes the force of an accident pushes a car into the creek next to her home, she said.
"We get an accident here once a month," said her husband, Carl.
New Road residents also said the speeding cars make it difficult for them to back out of their driveways.
"It seems like they put the pedal to the metal when you try to back out," Wilhelm said.
Ellis said police will evaluate the results from the counter later this year and determine if they need to return to any roads.
Not everyone has appreciated police efforts to reduce speeding. In July, two men were arrested after police said they used a knife to damage the traffic counter on Forest Hill Drive.
Aaron Vertrees, 23, of East Delason Avenue, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of vandalism and was sentenced to one year's probation and ordered to pay $310 in fines and court costs and $200 in restitution to the police department.
Ellis said the restitution money was used to repair the traffic counter.
Charges against the other man were dropped when Vertrees failed to show up in court to testify.
hill@vindy.com